Episode 12 Helicopter Heroes

When the people of rural Yorkshire dial 999,

help can be a long time coming.

The Yorkshire Dales are as beautiful as they are big,

but if you're seriously injured in a landscape as gigantic as this,

your life is on the line.

But in the remotest parts of Britain's biggest county,

they look to the skies for help.

Look on your left. That grass field on the left. Go for that.

From high drama in the Peaks to high waters in the Dales,

the Helimed team's at the heart of almost every rescue,

bringing 21st-century medicine

to some of Britain's most isolated communities,

and saving lives against the odds.

Today, on Helicopter Heroes,

a knifeman's on the loose

and the Helimed team must save his young victim.

-Just lay down, all right?

-He had a stab wound to his right arm.

It had gone in one side and come out the other.

A race is disrupted by an angry insect.

They're running past an old tree and disturbed a hornets' nest.

An escape to the country ends in agony.

He fell off the unprotected walkway onto a concrete floor.

The team scramble to a dramatic crash caught on camera,

but who's going to care for this passenger?

In countryside as beautiful as this,

it's hard to imagine being the victim of violent crime.

But the frightening truth is,

there are 30,000 knife crimes every year in the UK.

40% of murders involve bladed weapons,

and nowhere is totally safe.

Every day, Yorkshire's ambulance service receives 2,000 999 calls,

-but some are more urgent than others.

-'Hello?'

-Ambulance Service. Did you call an ambulance?

-'Yes, I need an ambulance.

-'My nine-year-old son's been stabbed.'

-OK. Are you with him now?

-'Yes.'

-Is he awake?

-'Only just.'

The Helimed team's dispatcher monitors every call,

and often, the chopper is in the air before the caller has even

given full details of the incident.

-Where did it happen?

-'In a park.'

-OK.

-Is there any serious bleeding?

-'Yes, it's very serious, it's gushing out of his arm.

'He's been stabbed all the way through his arm.'

Today, the adrenaline is pumping.

The stabbing has happened just four miles from base.

Below, a manhunt is under way for the attacker.

Is he completely alert?

'Yes, although I've got pressure just above the wound,

-'and I'm trying to keep his legs elevated.'

-OK.

-Can you see the ambulance coming?

-Yes.

That looks like them in the field there.

Pilot Steve's touching down in a park.

Ground paramedics are bringing the victim to the chopper.

Nine-year-old Jason D'Arcy has stab words to his arms and torso.

Just lay down and then we will sit you up a little bit.

You could see there was a single stab wound to the lower left

of his sternum, and also he had a stab wound to his right arm

that had gone in one side and come out the other.

We did find his BP was quite low so we gave him

some fluids which corrected that situation.

His dad Lee, who made the 999 call, is a first aider

who did all the right things in the minutes after the attack.

Helimed paramedic Lee Davison knows that Jason's loss of blood pressure

could be a sign of severe internal bleeding.

The hunt for the knifeman is on, and police officers are tense.

It's important to keep Jason's spirits up,

which is helped by the fact that he's excited

by the prospect of a flight.

Let's have a look. Oh, dear. All right.

This is a rare incident.

Jason apparently did nothing to provoke the attack.

-Right, Jason. You know where he's going?

-Eh?

-Do you know where he's going?

-Yeah. Am I not coming with him?

-Don't think we can carry you, mate. We haven't got enough weight.

-Right.

-How do I get there, then?

-We'll have a word with the police.

Police will get you there.

Flying doctor Andy Pountney will be caring for Jason during his flight.

See you later, son. Enjoy your ride. You're a superstar, you really are.

'And here's the news.

'A nine-year-old boy's been stabbed in the chest

'and arm at a skate park in Shipley in West Yorkshire.

'He's currently in a stable condition.

'Three people have been arrested.'

Reports are coming in of another victim,

an elderly woman found dead in her home nearby.

But paramedic Lee and the team are focused on saving their patient.

The five-minute flight to Leeds General Infirmary is longer

than they'd like.

As flying doctor Andy knows only too well,

the most serious knife injuries are hard to treat.

The problem with a stab wound or a gunshot wound as well is

often you don't know what has been injured underneath.

You can see a wound on the surface,

but you don't know what's going on inside.

If that's in an arm or a leg,

it could have damaged major blood vessels or nerves or other structures,

but particularly around the chest,

and particularly where this patient's stab wound is, obviously,

the concern is has it damaged the heart or any of the major blood vessels or major structures inside?

OK, I'm just going to lay you flat, OK? All right?

It does get the adrenaline pumping a little bit,

but the team will try and stay calm, just so they can stay focused

on the job in hand, and not get too distracted by other things.

That's important.

One, two, three, and lift.

The priority of the team is now to determine the depth of Jason's wounds.

Police in West Yorkshire have arrested a 26-year-old man

on suspicion of stabbing a nine-year-old boy in a skate park yesterday.

The same man is also being questioned over

the murder of an 84-year-old woman, who is believed to be his relative.

'Instead of children playing,

'it's police forensic teams that have taken over Carnegie Park.

'This is now a crime scene,

'after a nine-year-old boy was stabbed for no reason.

'Eli tried to help.

'He said some children here no longer want to play outside.'

They're petrified of going anywhere by themselves.

'Today, police came to the skate park,

'to try to reassure those who live here.'

But one local nine-year-old doesn't need much reassurance.

Almost as soon as he's home, Jason is heading back to the park

with Dad for company, trying to put the attack behind them.

Jason played out here every night.

He was here more than he was at home, to be honest.

He would come home from school, get changed out of his uniform,

straight on his scooter and out to the park. It were a regular day.

I'd just got home from work.

Probably been in about an hour, the kids were all out playing,

and the first I knew about it is when Jason managed to struggle home

and opened the door and just shouted, "Help me, Dad."

When I came downstairs, he was sat on the bottom steps.

He was covered head to toe in blood.

All he said was a man stabbed him

at the park on his way home from the park.

I mean, he was in shock himself, obviously,

and I was quite surprised he made it home, the amount of blood he lost.

Luckily, Jason's dad knew just what to do, despite his own shock.

I am a qualified first aider.

I have been for over 20 years, so my first priority was to get him

to lie down, I grabbed his arm to stop the blood,

I applied pressure to the wound,

elevated his legs to keep the blood flowing,

and while I were doing that, I was also trying to ring 999.

-'Is there any serious bleeding?

-'Yes, it's very serious, it's gushing out of his arm,

-'he's been stabbed all the way through.'

-All right. Is he completely alert?

-'Yes.

'I've got pressure just above the wound.'

Jason was more excited than concerned.

Paramedics told him that Helimed 99 was the chopper that once

flew his hero Richard Hammond to the same hospital.

They were just asking me where it happened and stuff,

and some of my friends saw it, cos they were on my street.

All right, buddy? OK, we're away now.

It were really fun going up in the air,

cos I've never been up in the air before.

After surgery, Jason's arm still needs treatment.

But happily, the stab wounds to his chest did not penetrate any vital organs.

They told me when I get like my dad's age, I won't be able to see it any more.

They're trying to keep my tendons bent so they can join back together,

and...it gets really hot inside.

There is no more spectacular way to see the Yorkshire Dales than

on foot, but fell runners don't have much time to take in the scenery.

This gruelling sport demands all the stamina of a marathon runner

combined with the agility of a goat.

Competitors often cover 20 miles or more,

but it's the thousands of feet uphill and down dale that really hurt.

Today, two runners need help for an unusual injury.

There's two jobs come in, literally 100 yards from each other,

where two people have been stung by bees.

I think one is more serious than the other.

They've been described as having difficulty breathing.

In the flowerbeds and meadows of North Yorkshire,

summer is in full bloom and wasps, bees

and hornets are all keen to protect their territory.

No-one knows what was responsible,

but runner Claire Stalling is in a bad way.

-So anaphylaxis? Is it an adult?

-I believe so.

Anaphylaxis is potentially fatal.

It's an extreme reaction to the toxins in a sting.

-Visual. One o'clock, two ambulances.

-OK.

From 99. Visual with ambulances making final approach.

Claire is one of two runners who had an extreme reaction,

but the second victim is on the mend.

-Claire was on the run.

-Hello, Claire.

-She's allergic to wasp stings.

Everything went a bit blurry and she's complained

-of swelling in the throat and tightness in the upper chest.

-Yes?

-Where did they sting you?

-Right on top of my head.

Have we made sure the sting's not still there?

-Oh, it's a wasp not a bee?

-We think it's a hornet.

-They were quite big.

Yeah? They've not been around here, have they?

I'm about to run if they have!

There's been a trial race which we run every year.

We're on the 5km mark, they're running past an old tree

and obviously disturbed a hornets' nest or wasps' nest.

Quite a few people have got stung.

The poor lady who you see now has got stung on the head several times

and had quite a reaction to it.

Might be as well just to nip you to the hospital to be checked out. OK?

How do you feel about that?

I think it's a bit of a waste, if I'm honest.

I really think I can get back. Honestly.

I'm going to feel really guilty if I get in an ambulance for this.

Claire doesn't want a fuss, but her condition could be life-threatening.

Please don't feel guilty.

Your blood pressure has been really quite low, OK?

So we would like to take you.

She's been given antihistamines and adrenaline

and a drip is helping to raise her blood pressure.

Would you say this has run out now?

To you and me who don't have a reaction to them, it is painful

and uncomfortable but to people who do have reactions to insect stings,

to bee stings and things like that,

it's pretty serious.

I'm bringing to you a 44-year-old female.

Had a severe anaphylaxis reaction post query sting twice on the scalp.

We don't know if it was a bee or a wasp or a hornet.

Basically what it does is it open the floodgates.

Everything swells, everything goes red, you start with rashes,

which in turn if you think of everything swelling,

the airways start to swell, you have trouble breathing,

and it's not until we can get to them

and get some adrenaline on board

that we can start reversing the effect of the sting.

OK, up to shoulder height. Ready, up.

-Terrific.

-Lovely.

We'll get you a blanket as well if you're feeling a bit chilly.

Claire's not reacted to stings like this before.

In future, she may need to carry an EpiPen when she goes out running.

It counters anaphylaxis instantly.

ANNOUNCEMENT OVER RADIO

Helimed 98 now approaching.

The most dangerous time for the victims of stings

is in the first few minutes after the attack

but doctors will keep Claire under observation for some time.

Happily, Claire goes on to recover well,

but she'll be steering clear of bees, wasps and hornets from now on.

Fancy getting away from it all?

Lots of people like the idea of leaving the city behind

and escaping to the country to live in scenery like this.

The wide-open spaces of the Yorkshire Dales

were once a forbidding place to live.

These valleys were home to a handful of hill farmers

struggling and often failing to make a living.

But now the Dales are growing with a permanent population of 20,000.

Converting the traditional stone barns is big business.

One of them is Helimed 98's destination today.

We're in a location near Catterick in North Yorkshire.

We've had reports of an elderly gentleman that's fallen down

two storeys up a ladder. There's potential there for major trauma.

So we were sent in. The plan is to take an assessment there.

The team's patient was renovating a barn

near the market town of Bedale when he fell 15 feet.

Help is landing at the bottom of the garden.

So what's been happening? Someone's been falling?

It's Jeremy Downie. He's taken a fall from a gallery, you'll see.

Nobody saw him fall. He's landed on a concrete floor.

We're not quite sure what hit first.

65-year-old Jeremy Downie is in a bad way. He's in severe pain.

-It's the air ambulance. You probably heard us landing.

-I did.

-OK, can you remember everything that's happened?

-Yes.

OK, got any pain anywhere?

-My back's a bit sore.

-Whereabouts in your back?

-Lower back? Upper back?

-Sort of between my shoulders and my waist.

This is an ambitious conversion.

Jeremy was working on the first-floor gallery when he slipped.

His wife is worried.

He apparently fell off the unprotected walkway onto a concrete floor.

He's very careful and it's very rare for him

to have an accident of any kind.

Jeremy moved north from Essex for the good life in the Dales.

We're just going to check you out, see if we can see any injuries, OK?

-So no injuries in your neck?

-I don't feel anything.

-I don't feel any pain.

-Nice deep breaths and move your chest.

-Do what?

Deep breaths in and out.

Dales barn conversions can command high prices.

Half a million pounds for three bedrooms isn't uncommon around

here, and the National Park's tough planning restrictions mean

there's a limited supply of new homes on the market.

We're going to treat you.

Potentially, you could've hurt your back. OK?

So that means we're going to put you on a board

and put a collar on your neck, so you're going to be quite trussed up.

Jeremy's home is at the end of a rough track.

A ride on a ground ambulance to hospital would've been painful

and potentially dangerous for a man with a suspected spinal injury.

Tummy feel OK?

The ambulance would be a bit of a nightmare.

We've got a long drive which is about a mile long

and it's quite pot-holey, so it would've taken time

and it's not comfortable, so there might've been

an issue getting in and out anyway with the pot holes in the ground.

So obviously, with a helicopter that really has helped.

Instead, Jeremy is going to be flown to Cook Hospital,

30 miles away in Middlesbrough.

No major concerns,

other than the fact he's fallen from quite a height, so we're going

to mobilise his spine just in case he has done some damage,

he has got some pain to his back.

Can see if the local trauma centre will accept him.

It does tick the box for major trauma centre assessment,

falling from a height.

Ready, steady and lift.

This is a major blow to his development plans.

He was doing much of the work himself,

and a long recovery will be disastrous.

Everyone is hoping that paramedic Tony's optimism is not misplaced.

-You OK there, Jeremy?

-Yes.

-OK, good man.

Motorists in the twisting lanes of the Dales are lucky

to average 30mph.

Jeremy's heading for treatment at 150.

Get you off the helicopter same way we got you on, onto a stretcher,

you'll be going to A&E and they'll have a look at you very quickly

and we'll get you off this board. OK.

Jeremy is subjected to a battery of x-rays and tests.

They reveal that he has been very lucky.

Despite his dramatic fall, his injuries are not serious,

and he is allowed home to Arbour Hill

to continue work on his conversion.

And a few weeks later, he's back at work on what, for him,

is a labour of love.

Initially it was the stonemasons and there was nothing we could do.

But I think a year and a half we've been involved,

working quite a lot ourselves and with other people, doing jobs

they can't do.

It's to remember all the difficulties about...

The talk about how many different arcs there were in the door archway.

Jeremy and his wife have captured every

stage of their project on film.

They have had to use traditional methods in order to preserve

the character of their 250-year-old home,

but Jeremy's fall could've left their grand design in ruins.

Suddenly I realised I'd fallen off, and for a moment I thought,

"Oh, my God, this is going to be terrible",

and then I hit the floor over there, and I knew just to lie there,

I didn't move, and I crashed on my back,

which made me expel all the air, which came out as a sort of shout.

I wasn't here. I had left about 15 minutes earlier to go shopping.

My daughter, who phoned, Aisling, said, "Oh, he's not bad",

but I knew from her voice that she thought in fact he was

seriously injured, and yes,

I don't know what was going through my mind.

Panic, I should think. Terror. You know, every emotion.

I was probably at the hospital in less time than it would've taken

to drive down the drive, which was terrific.

And Jeremy stuck to his timetable.

Work on their retirement home was completed in time for Christmas.

The market town of Helmsley sits right on the edge

of the North York Moors, dominated by its imposing medieval castle.

At weekends, these narrow roads fill with tourists

heading into the National Park or off to the Yorkshire coast.

But today, this CCTV camera is about to capture an extraordinary crash.

Suddenly, the pace of the market town is interrupted by this...

-En route to Helmsley.

-That's not looking particularly clever.

We won't be going over the high ground.

On the ground, paramedics are racing to the scene from nearby villages.

There are several patients to treat,

and it's thought some are still trapped in the car.

It's been quite a nice afternoon on the bank holiday

but the forecast has predicted heavy rain

and showers with thunderstorms.

Potentially dry roads all of a sudden have flash floods.

Very treacherous conditions for driving.

There's three vehicles involved.

One of the cars is on its side with people trapped inside.

This tightly-packed medieval town means finding a suitable

landing site is going to be difficult.

-There's a gate through there, where the cars are all queued up.

-Oh, yeah.

-See what I mean?

-Yeah.

-Just going to come round.

-I'm happy with that.

-OK your side?

-Yeah, you're fine on my side.

The crash has blocked the main road into Helmsley.

And as well as the human casualties, there's a canine one.

Ushka the guide dog was on a day out

with her partially-sighted owner.

-How are you?

-OK.

We set off with seven people injured

but, actually, we've probably got just three casualties now.

-OK.

-The chap here is the driver of this vehicle.

-Yeah.

He's come in and somehow has just lost control.

When he's hit the kerb, he's tried to rectify,

-not been able to rectify it and...

-It's just rolled, hasn't it?

This lady has got...she seems to have suffered the worst

but she's just complained of pain in this right shoulder.

Shall we get a set of obs on her?

Hello there, Monica, how are you feeling?

A bit of pain on that right-hand side, is it?

-That's it, my darling.

-What's your dog called?

-Ushka. Ushka.

-Ushka.

-Whereabouts were you sat in the car, Monica?

-At the back.

Men found my purse in the back.

OK, darling. No worries. No problem.

Paramedics Leon and Al

are struggling to work out how it happened.

Sorry? That's the driver.

He's got a cut hand, laceration. She was sat here.

That's who the crew are mainly concerned about.

And then I think he's had his hand out,

trying to pull everyone out of the car, hasn't he?

Despite this rather dramatic looking accident,

it doesn't look like anybody is too badly injured.

A few cuts and bruises and things like that. It's very spectacular.

I'd like to know exactly how it happened.

It seems a bit unreal almost in this sort of like quiet

sort of street to have a car up on its side and all that.

Bet the locals wondered what the crikey was going on.

The pictures from this private CCTV camera will form a key

part of the police investigation.

But despite the spectacular scene,

it seems everyone escaped major injury.

-You've just got a cut on your arm, haven't you?

-Yes.

All these patients will be going to the local hospital by road.

And Ushka the dog has been booked in for a checkup at the vet's.

It's certainly been a lucky escape from a spectacular crash.

The rocky heights of the Pennines have a rugged beauty that has

inspired writers for centuries, from the Bronte sisters to poet

Ted Hughes, and even the creators of Last Of The Summer Wine.

These hills have been the backdrop to larger-than-life characters

and dramatic events.

Latest, Helimed 98.

Shortly loading. We'll call again for lifting.

Today, the drama is real.

Helimed 98 is heading up onto the peaks, around Holme Moss.

-RADIO:

-'Just an update.

'If you follow the road up past the reservoir,

'the RV is a bit further up on top of the hill.'

This Pennine outcrop is so high, it is the site of the radio

transmitter that broadcasts BBC programmes to most of the North.

You see that car park to the right there?

I visual that one as well, mate.

Hold on, which way's the ambulance pointing?

-He's pointing back up the hill, mate.

-At top of the hill?

I think so.

The accident has happened on a minor road on a steep hillside.

There's a big depression in the road, a big dip.

As he's come over it, he just lost it

and it threw him onto the side.

He's slid into the barrier and he's ended up down here.

Tom Manley was out for a ride with biking colleagues.

They called in his son, who lives nearby.

The plan of action is, we'll package him here

and then we'll drive up to meet the aircraft. We can't stay here.

-Up to the car park?

-Yes, to the top car park.

That's the best option, I reckon, in't it?

He's been doing it 25 to 30 years and he's had a bit of a break

from riding. Just went out for an hour. Just an hour's ride.

-TOM GROANS

-Are you all right, Tom?

-What's hurting? What's hurting?

-Me back.

-Is it your back?

-The same place?

-Yeah.

It's feared Tom has a spinal injury.

He's collided with a safety barrier designed to stop cars

plunging down the hillside.

I'm thinking while we've got you on the C-spine, mate,

do you think we'll manage to pull him out onto the road, so we can...

-Yeah.

-One, two, three, up.

Paramedic Andy Armitage is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan

-alongside special forces.

-Take some deep breaths for me in a second.

A deep breath. HE GROANS

He still has to think fast.

The treatment he gives over the next few minutes could be the difference

between a good recovery and a lifelong disability for his patient.

-Is that hurting?

-Yeah.

-What's it hurting? When you breath?

-My back, yeah.

-When you take a big breath?

-Yeah.

These Pennine roads are popular with bikers.

But when there's an accident, hospital can be a long drive away.

The police know Tom's lucky to have survived this impact.

More speed and it could've been a different story.

If you look at the distance he's actually travelled, he's not

travelled that far so I don't think he's been going that fast.

But with the bike you're very vulnerable, aren't you?

And if you hit any sort of street furniture - like this barrier -

you're liable to cause yourself some serious injuries.

Tom is in great pain. Paramedics can deal with that.

But safely moving him from the position

in which he came to rest isn't easy.

And they must keep his spine straight.

The road's too narrow

and the hillside too steep to land Helimed 98 here.

Tom will be driven to a car park nearby by ground ambulance.

His son is still shaken by his dad's accident.

I panicked big-time because he was unconscious

and he wasn't moving and I couldn't see because his eyes were shut.

So I tapped, I tried not to move him.

I touched his face and he opened his eyes a bit so I moved his hand.

I saw he was a bit all right

but I didn't know if he was struggling to breathe.

He was struggling, but...

-All right?

-HE GROANS

-You were in a bad way when I found you.

-Seriously?

You were in a bad way when I found you. I was very concerned.

I went into first-aid mode.

It was a good job I did that first-aid course at work.

If the clouds had been any lower, pilot Chris may not have been

able to reach the scene of Tom's accident.

The Pennine climate often defies the weather forecast.

What's the temperature today? 28? 29?

Clear blue skies. And what is it now? It's blowing a hooley.

Tom was on his way home to the town of Glossop in Derbyshire

when the accident happened.

Now Dad is heading straight to a specialist spinal

injury centre in West Yorkshire.

Thomas, I'll only call you that if it's a Sunday,

-but it's a Saturday so I'll call you Tom.

-Right.

Now we've decided where we're taking you, OK,

-we're going to take you to Pinderfields Hospital.

-OK.

-OK?

For paramedic Andy it's been a difficult case.

And Tom's long-term outlook isn't certain.

You quite often see people that are dead

as soon as they've impacted with a lamp post or a tree.

So to be fair, at the moment,

it looks like he's come off pretty lightly.

I'm a bit concerned about his back,

you know, at high speed

hitting a barrier like that,

it won't do the spine much good.

But hopefully everything will be fine.

Tom is taken immediately to intensive care at Pinderfields Hospital.

His spine is given the all clear but he does have a bleed on the brain.

He also has ten broken ribs.

It's months before he recovers fully and it will be a long time

before he's back on the roads of the high Pennines.

-RADIO:

-Topcliffe approach. Helimed 98. Good afternoon.

Like all paramedics, the Helimed team is there to

save lives but it has another important job - preventing pain.

INDISTINCT

Helimed 98 Alpha just lifting from Topcliffe, routing to Helmsley,

requesting a basic service.

With some of the most powerful drugs known to

medicine at their fingertips, paramedic Paul and John can

save patients the agony that comes with many dramatic injuries.

We've just received a call from a gentleman who's been using

a circular saw and has unfortunately cut into his hand.

Don't know if he's amputated any of his fingers.

We'll get there as soon as and check his injury

and take him to the nearest centre.

Helimed 98 has been scrambled to a stately home

on the edge of the North York Moors.

The patient was using a saw in a woodworking shop

when he was badly injured.

Think it might be this clearing near where the house is.

-See the house there.

-Possibly. Landing site in sight.

Pre-landing checks, please.

Pilot Ian is touching down in the extensive

grounds of Duncan Park,

a stately pile that for most of the last century was a private

school until its new owners turned it back into a family home.

He's taken off the tops of three knuckles there.

-He's got a big skin flap that was folded over.

-Right.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-And it looks like he's skimmed the top of his hand with a circular saw.

-It's a nasty, nasty hand injury.

-OK.

-Tremendous amount of pain.

-Has he had anything for it?

He's had Entonox and ten milligrams of morphine.

-About 20 minutes ago, the morphine went in.

-About 20 minutes.

William was making windows for his home

when the accident happened.

-He works on the estate.

-Hi, Will. Now then, how are you doing?

-I know you had a bit of a bad injury on that hand, haven't you?

-Yes.

How's the pain at the moment, then?

Er... manageable.

Are you managing with what you've been given so far

with the morphine and the gas and air?

If you could upgrade it a little, I wouldn't mind.

-You can still move them slightly?

-I can still move them all.

All right, pal.

Pain is generated by nerve endings

and its intensity depends on where in the body the injury has occurred.

Wounds to the hand are among the most painful the team can be asked to treat.

William was working in the estate joiners shop

and was cutting a piece of wood on the crossbench saw

and has cut the back of his hand and has lost a certain amount of blood

but thankfully his fingers can move so not too bad, we hope.

-We're going to get...

-As far as we can?

-Pull it round, get it round.

Fortunately I think there were two or three other people

working in the workshop at the time

so they bandaged him up and phoned the ambulance.

No, it's all right. It's the best we can do.

He's got good movement there and sensation which is a good thing.

It means it hasn't gone through any deeper into the hand.

He's got a good pulse so circulation's good in there.

I've just given him some morphine and we've had some Entonox as well

so he's had some good pain relief.

We've just had a chat with James Cook Hospital to see if they'll accept. They have done.

So we're just going to transport him to the air ambulance and fly him up to James Cook.

William's still bleeding badly under the bandages.

The team's keeping his hand raised to minimise the blood loss.

Will, because the blood pressure is all right and you're in pain

you can have a bit more of the morphine.

Sunk in the mud a little bit there.

OK, we'll try it a bit higher than normal.

Because of the high ground behind us.

For pilot Ian, take-off will mean negotiating

the work of Georgian landscape gardeners.

Through that gap there.

Trees planted to beautify the view from the house are a serious problem.

Top of approach, Helimed 98 Alpha. En route James Cook Hospital.

William's being flown to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough,

where plastic surgeons are waiting to examine his hand.

What they find is extensive damage to his knuckles

but the tendons in several fingers have also been severed.

They'll require delicate surgery if he's to keep full use of his hand.

William's soon back home on the North York Moors

but it will be a while before he's able to fully return to work.

According to Sport England, more than a quarter of a million women

are now regularly doing this at the weekend.

Soccer is not just a man's world any more.

Here in Middlesbrough, the men are out of the Premier League now

but the girls are at the top of their game.

Unfortunately, Helimed pilot Chris is about to blow the final whistle.

At the ground.

Bit of an odd one, this.

She had an elbow in the side of her face

and she's complained of jaw pain

but that was probably 15 minutes before the end of the match.

As soon as it got to the end of the match, she went down.

She says she has no feeling in her right leg.

I can't get her to grip my fingers.

19-year-old Kirsty Flynn is being treated by local paramedics

who fear she may have suffered a spinal injury.

She's not making much sense. It's a puzzling case.

Women's football is every bit as physical as the men's game

but it's actually quite safe.

Most medics rate rugby as among the riskier games

but bowls is often said to be statistically the most likely

to land you in an ambulance thanks to the age of the players.

SHE CRIES OUT

Paramedic Dave Appleby is a keen player himself.

He needs Kirsty to help him so HE can help HER.

-Kirsty?

-My name's Dave.

-I'm one of the paramedics on the ambulance.

I know it's a bit difficult, sweetheart,

but we really cannot get you onto this board

unless we get your legs close together, all right?

It all kind of happened so fast.

We were all concentrating on our jobs on the pitch

and knowing her character, what Kirsty is as well,

we know that she doesn't go down easily.

She can take kicks and knocks all day long and it won't bother her.

We knew it was something kind of serious.

Kirsty, I've got some gas and air here, OK?

This will just relax your legs.

Deep, slow breaths in and out. Come on.

Kirsty's not far from the trauma centre at the James Cook Hospital

but going by air will make for a smoother journey

and if she has damaged her spine, that could be important.

We need to transport her as quickly and smoothly as we can.

We need to get her there without any overdue delay.

We don't know quite what's gone on inside her.

We can't look at that, but we can take a guess.

Kirsty's leaving her side a woman down

but that's the last thing on her team-mates' minds.

Paramedic Andy has already alerted the trauma unit

and his patient's already booked in for a series of tests.

As well as x-rays and scans,

Kirsty will be given a neurological examination to find the reason

for her confusion and unwillingness to communicate with her rescuers.

The next hour will be critical for her.

ALL: Yes!

WHISTLE BLOWS

100 miles south, women's football is big in South Yorkshire too,

thanks to local heroines, the Doncaster Belles,

who have long been the Man United of the ladies' game.

There's all the drama of the men's game,

including the odd goalmouth clash,

and that's why Helimed 99 is about to create some injury time.

We're just heading down to Bolton upon Dearne,

which is in South Yorkshire,

for what sounds like a young girl, a lassie,

who's hurt her neck playing football.

There seems to be some suspicion

she might have some altered sensation in her leg,

which could be down to a neck injury,

so probably best to play safe in these sorts of situations.

So we'll go down and see if we can help out.

There is a group of people.

I can't decide whether they're supporters

or whether that's the incident.

-OK that side?

-Yeah. Looking good on the right.

That's the football ground.

The casualty is the Belles' goalie,

now being treated in the back of an ambulance.

Paramedic Daryl, no mean player himself,

knows sporting injuries are not always to be shrugged off.

His patient's symptoms are worrying.

-Hiya. Are you all all right?

-This is Emily.

-Hi, Emily.

-Hiya.

-Emily's a goalkeeper.

-Oh, goalie, right. I'll just get some...

-How old are you, Emily?

-20.

-No pain down the back.

20-year-old Emily Darwin has been strapped to a spinal stretcher.

Ground paramedics fear she may have injured her neck.

-She just cannot move her right leg.

-OK.

She's got full sensation in her right leg.

But movement, she's got no movement?

She cannot move it. She feels it's numb.

The incident happened when Emily clashed with a Sheffield player.

Today's referees are taught

as much about first aid as the offside rule,

and he immediately stopped the game.

Eight and half minutes into the second half,

ran into the goalkeeper, ball through, striker on goalkeeper,

they both basically got there at the same,

the striker marginally got there slightly after the goalkeeper,

collided with the goalkeeper.

I gave the free kick to the defending side

for the foul on the goalkeeper, but it wasn't reckless or excessive,

it was purely and simply in the context of the game.

The Sheffield striker

who accidentally caused Emily's injury is in the clear.

It were a 50-50 challenge.

We both went in, I couldn't stop, clashed, and she got knocked out.

We'd only played ten minutes!

The game had only just begun when Emily was hurt.

It's led to more injury time

than all the stoppages the team normally sees in a whole season.

99, lifted, en route to Northern General.

Emily's mum was watching from the touchline

and she's now heading to meet her at the Northern General Hospital,

where she'll be undergoing scans and x-rays.

-Are we keeping you warm enough?

-I'm all right.

-Yeah? Good.

Doctors find Emily's injuries are not serious

and she's soon sent home.

She's back on the pitch in time for the next clash with rival Sheffield.

100 miles north, another female footballer is also back in action.

Middlesbrough striker Kirsty has recovered from her injury.

The pitch was boggy as.

There was mud everywhere, the challenges were just flying in.

I obviously took a few knocks that game.

The full game was rough, so it was just, like, taking knocks everywhere.

I'd went for the ball and as I'd slid, someone just followed through

and stood on the back of my neck and I took a knock,

and I was a bit disorientated after that as well, but then I played on.

There was only 20 minutes left, and then I took another knock

and that was it.

Doctors could find no major damage,

but it's thought she was probably suffering from concussion.

It was after the game, I just collapsed.

The game had finished and I was just on the floor. Nobody even realised!

SHE LAUGHS

I couldn't feel anything. My whole right side was just, like, numb.

My friend Rachel had to hold my head still and said the ambulance

was pricking my fingers and pricking my feet and I couldn't feel a thing.

'Everyone was upset.'

Keep doing it for a couple of minutes.

I had to go to physio for two weeks

to get my back and my neck moving again.

And Kirsty says her trip to A&E isn't going to put her off playing.